The decision not to publish the report of the commission investigating the circumstances of the 44-day war was political, said human rights advocate Nina Karapetyants during a protest outside Armenia’s National Assembly.

Responding to a question about why the report was not made public, she stated that in the case of genuine disclosure, the first accused should have been the country’s top officials, including those who participated in the process as organizers and executors, Panorama.am reports.

According to her, those individuals should have been the first to end up in penitentiary institutions if Armenia functioned as a rule-of-law state with a truly reformed justice system.

“The non-publication of the report was a political decision. People’s grief and pain were simply used to create the impression of democracy — that they are even investigating a war that took place during their rule. In short, they did what they do best — packaged it nicely. In the end, they essentially told parents who lost their children: we have nothing to tell you, goodbye. This reflects what this government stands for — what human suffering, what human rights. They fit neither moral, nor legal, nor political norms, and have no connection with Armenia.

This leadership should be rejected. Each of their next steps will only bring more serious problems, and we will face increasingly severe challenges on a daily basis,” Karapetyants said.

A group of public figures and relatives of fallen and missing servicemen gathered outside the National Assembly, demanding the publication of the report on the 44-day war.